CONTROVERSIAL SCIENCE

Harvard Prof. Seeks 'Adventurous' Woman to Birth Neanderthal Baby

Is cloning Neanderthals a good idea?

Jan 21, 2013 by Dain Fitzgerald and Mary Noble

Recreation of Neanderthal child, Les Eyzies, France / donsmaps.com

A Harvard professor wants to clone a Neanderthal in a bid to increase genetic diversity, a bulwark against a biological "monoculture," reports LiveScience. In fact the professor in question, Dr. George Church, even took an ad out for "extremely adventurous female human" to serve as a surrogate mother for our closely related hominid.

"We can clone all kinds of mammals, so it's very likely that we could clone a human," said Church to German newspaper Der Spiegel. "Why shouldn't we be able to do so?"

But some of Church's peers in the scientific community are a little less enthusiastic about the prospect of attempting to bring the distant past into the present. They're concerned not only about the health impact on the surrogate mother - or mothers, as the cloning process would likely "require dozens of women" - but the physical well-being of the hypothetical Neanderthal infant.

"Setting aside the ethical issues behind creating the lone survivor of an extinct human species, doomed to be a freak under the microscope of celebrity...clones often experience a host of health problems, said Alex Knapp of Forbes.

Via LiveScience.

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?	Is cloning a Neanderthal a good idea?

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Heavens, no

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Yes, let's go for it

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Jan '13

XLP

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lol..I would argue that the race did not go extinct.
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Jan '13

Jack-Black

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There about 487 test subjects in D.C........
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Jan '13

martydotcom

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@Jack-Black Calling for a recount there aren't that many Tea Party members of congress
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@martydotcom Nah I think he's got you on this one. He may have under counted. Considerably.
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Jan '13

Rocker

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@jessejaymes - To have heard some of my ex-girlfriends talk, I qualified. But that was some years ago. I believe I have been domesticated by now....
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Jan '13

Rocker

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@jessejaymes - ..But if not, just to further the interest of science, I'll volunteer to plant the seed. Bound to be more fun than what that Dr. had in mind.
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Jan '13

Jack-Black

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Harvard professor ....enough said.
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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wtf?
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Post @dances-weebles
Jan '13

Jack-Black

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@dances-weebles I will type slower so you can understand....Har...Vard Proooo fessss or ...E Nuff said.
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@Jack-Black do you have something against harvard university? what's wrong, couldn't you make the cut?
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Jan '13

Republican5001

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@dances-weebles who would go to harvard other than democrats, liberals and gays? I think the cloning is a good idea, IF the professor pays to take care of the kid once it is born. I.E. food, clothing, shelter, education etc etc etc...His idea, his responsibility.
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@Republican5001 Um, dubya went to Harvard.....guess that makes him a gay Dem liberal?
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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Did we suddenly run out of liberals we could examine?
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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Dam! You beat me to it. Logged on to say neanderthals are not extinct, now day we just call em republicans.
In fact, I though Neo was just a diminuative of neanderthal :)
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Post @PoliticalSpice
Jan '13

dances-weebles

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that's sad... so sad
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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@dances-weebles - What PoliticalSpice said? I know, tell me about it, I know.
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@Neo_NtheMatrix no... that you're still stuck in your proverbial quag-mire and haven't screwed up the courage to look for canada yet.
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Post @dances-weebles
Jan '13

Ashstop

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First it's entitlements to win votes, now they want to outright create New Democrats !! Brilliant!!
- B7 • Vote Up r2 Replies
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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I don't know if I buy this conspiracy theory. They are already importing new Democrats from across the border. Why do you think obama refuses to secure the border?
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u
Jan '13

XLP

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You have a point. They import some, make new poor ones, and recruit the young ones. Yep it makes sense.
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Jan '13

DARSB

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Apparently this fellow is unaware of the last surviving colony of Neanderthals - the Westboro Baptist Church.

Oh, wait, WBC are just knuckle-draggers, not a species of human.

Carry on.
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u
Jan '13

Cheenoguy

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If you ever get a Delorean with a flux capicator you need to go apologize to Neanderthals for that statement.
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Jan '13

Bobolinsky

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@Cheenoguy-- Had to laugh at that one. Even if we concede that lawyers are the modern Neanderthals... WBC is in a species of their own.
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Jan '13

Real4WheelDrv

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Is this where Paulie Shore jumps out and says we've been Punk'd? Seriously, instead of using our time and resources to cure diseases, explore the universe, and rehabilitate species on the BRINK of dying not through evolution but because of us...THIS is what we're considering?
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Jan '13

Bobolinsky

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LOL... I never dreamed that Paulie Shore would figure into a debate on here. My favorite is Son-In-Law but Encino Man was a good two hours worth of mind-numbing fun.:)

No Wheezing the Joo-ooce!
http://www.youtube.com/watch...
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Post @Bobolinsky
Jan '13

Knightkore

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@Bobolinsky Bio-Dome was his worst....ugh....I still haven't gained back the iq points lost watching that one....
As to this Harvard professor....I don't....and we're supposed to trust them that evolution is real and creation isn't?
There is many more things we could be using money to do research on that would actually to humanity good....
I think he got it wrong though....shouldn't it be dinosaurs that he is cloning?
Maybe an alien from Roswell?
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Jan '13

Mogal

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Is this guy high or something?
Jeez.....
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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Not at all. He wants to study the geneology of the first Republicans...
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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curiosity... why would you think that? it could have great advantages, including strengthening the human genome.
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@dances-weebles Because its unethical, for one.
Do you really need to have it explained to you what a terrible idea this is?
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@Mogal yes, please...'unethical' how? it's no more unethical than using stem-cells to build heart valves, bypass veins and arteries, build new kidneys and repair spinal columns. it's also no more unethical than creating female sperm from a woman's own stem cells and using that sperm to fertilise her own ovum. why do you seem to have a problem with strengthening the human genome by the addition of new material?
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Post @dances-weebles
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Jan '13

Mogal

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@dances-weebles Stem cells, etc are a far cry from creating a human being from an extinct species.
Every hear of medical ethics?
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Jan '13

AtheistStand

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We need to focus on cloning oragns for the humans that are suffering now. We have enough babies, not enough usable organs. Cloning organs would also do away with all the negative transplant meds.
We could do it!
- B2 • Vote Up r45 Replies
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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although that's a wonderful idea, it's already been worked on. what this professor hopes to do is to strengthen the human genome by introducing new, stronger genetic material into the species. it's really not a bad idea considering the fact that there are so many weak minded evangelicals and other ultra conservatives there are running around.
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u
Jan '13

Penn1699

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@dances-weebles if the "genetic material" was strong it would not be extinct.
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Jan '13

culinary

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@dances-weebles that is complete bull $#%&. This is nothing more than "look what I can do!"
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@Penn1699 not necessarily so. look at metal alloys. gold itself is extremely soft and weak, but it still exists. when blended however, with other metals, the gold becomes much harder and more durable. it's quite possible that the human genome will be the same... we just don't know, but it'll be great to find out.
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Post @dances-weebles
Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@culinary and why shouldn't we? it makes no difference, the reason. scientific curiosity is enough.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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This day on Topix has ranged from nitpicking to the absolute absurd. There is no possible positive need to clone neanderthals. This guy needs to have his cleaned. Then cloned. Bats in the belfry.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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This guy needs to have his clock cleaned.
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Jan '13

marine1

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@jessejaymes Is this the new value of human life, make your own circus attraction for your own selfish reasons? Don't we have enough challeng with our own gene pool?
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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medically it could have a huge value.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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@dances-weebles absolute nonsense.
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@jessejaymes why?
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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But we all have neandertal DNA in us already...
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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um... no. no we don't. there's no relation, they say.
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Jan '13

Romney2012

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No scientific research is worth the torture of a human, this is unethical, unGodly, and unwanted! Why would we want that type of diversity anyways?
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Jan '13

ConserveUSA

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Amen!
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Jan '13

bsking

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More proof of how the left want to take us back in time.
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Jan '13

DARSB

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I thought that was the Romney campaign platform? ;)
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Jan '13

SignifiedNBlue

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Liberals!! Exactly like Hitler! Making the perfect human! Let me guess, this will be funded by Obama! My skin crawls. Cant anyone else see whats happening?
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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um... hitler was über conservative. look it up.
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Post @dances-weebles
Jan '13

mimi57

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@dances-weebles Hitler was a Fascist, he was not a Liberal or Conservative.
He was also insane with power, a narcissist, and pure evil.
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Jan '13

dances-weebles

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@mimi57 he was also a conservative christian. although he started out as a socialist democrat he later changed and modeled himself after his fascist italian neighbor benito mussolini. pure evil? who's to say. by all reports he was an extremely 'moral' man.
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Post @dances-weebles
Jan '13

mimi57

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@dances-weebles How can you say that?... He killed over six million Jews. That is not moral, that's pure evil, or insane power. Pick one?
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Jan '13

ACTSmom

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@dances-weebles ..How do you figure Hitler was a Christian, conservative or otherwise? He certainly didn't follow Christ's teachings. Just because Hitler may have claimed to be a Christian doesn't make it so anymore than going to church makes one a Christian.
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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All I can say is... What a concept!
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Jan '13

kathyparsell

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Cowards, just kidding. But for real if you look at the full sized pic, I could name at least two different families whose male offspring look like the Neanderthal's direct offspring. What happens in SW VA stays in SW VA...evidently.
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Jan '13

mimi57

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Yep, that looks like Biden's son, they've already begun! LOL
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Jan '13

Medicinebow

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Would these be used in Geico commercials?
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Jan '13

Keyjo

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Good, good......
Brilliant comment!
Kudos!
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Post @Keyjo
Jan '13

Keyjo

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Neo, Neo, where are you?
Such an opening, uhhhhhhhhh.....
If I take it I'm certain the moderators will slap me on my keyboard!
Ohhhhhhhhhh, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Damnit!
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Jan '13

AlexMIA

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Do you think this could anyway turn out like something out of a cheesey scifi movie? Just think, harvard academia types get taken out by angree neandethal freak creation!
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Jan '13

Keyjo

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Mary Shelley writing from the grave!?
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Jan '13

bsking

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Imagine the reality based entertaiment....it would keep the low info voters busy for years following the adventures of "caveboy and the baby momma"...;-)
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Jan '13

DARSB

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We had that. It was called "The Second Bush Administration." badup bup! ;)
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Is cloning a Neanderthal a good idea?

Is cloning a Neanderthal a good idea?